'Queen for a Day' still produced by federal government

Tuesday, August 21, 2001 at 1:00am

Long before Survivor and Chains of Love, there was Queen for a Day, the original reality show. The concept was sad-sack housewives would regale a studio audience with their pathetic tales of woe, and a finely tuned clap-o-meter would measure audience reaction. The housewife who got the most applause for her sob story would win a household appliance or vacation.

This barbaric spectacle has now been resurrected by the federal government as a method for awarding federal transportation contracts. Instead of washing machines, the winners get government contracts.